Pokemon: Destiny Calls
by Benajah Davis
Summary: Lucas Parker, age 13, always wanted to become a Pokemon trainer. However, after a massive fire destroyed his house and killed his mother, he was forced to run off into the cold night, where he is saved by a stray Charizard. Using their unique ability to understand each other, the two embark on an epic journey - and Lucas realizes he's more special than he could possibly imagine.


Pokémon™

Destiny Calls

Book one of three in the _Pokémon: Destiny_ series

A Fiction Novel by: Benajah C. M. Davis

Franchise Copyright ©2020 Pokémon ©1995-2020 Nintendo/Creatures Inc./GAME FREAK Inc.

Book Copyright ©2020 Benajah C.M. Davis

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author.

This is a work of fanfiction. All material here, except for the author's ideas, characters, events, and plot, belong to the Pokémon Company, Nintendo/Creatures Inc, and GAME FREAK Inc. This includes the franchise copyright owner's names, events, ideas, and plot. Names, characters, places, and incidents created by the author either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

_This book is dedicated to my good friend Hunter Carter, my English teacher Mrs. Sarah Loftin, and her husband Mr. John Loftin, who gave me all of the support I needed to complete this series. Without them, I probably would have given up on this project, and they gave me all the knowledge I needed to write these books to the best of my abilities._

_Life, most of the time, is a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings that are sometimes hard to describe. There will be happiness and sadness, anger and closure, doubt and confidence… but no matter what happens, you have to keep your chin up. Because sometimes, life will throw the greatest of adventures and the strangest of fates at you – and you need to push forward and follow your destiny, no matter the challenge._

Contents

Prologue: The Towers …pg. 5

Chapter 1: Beginnings…pg. 7

Chapter 2: Winter Fire…pg. 11

Chapter 3: Mythical Memory Dream….pg. 15

Chapter 4: An Unexpected Friend…..pg. 18

Chapter 5: Shoulders to Lean On…pg. 21

Chapter 6: Rivals….pg. 28

Chapter 7: Gaining Trust….pg. 31

Chapter 8: Saving Dratini…pg. 35

Chapter 9: Legendary Calling…..pg. 39

Chapter 10: The Water Gem…pg. 42

Chapter 11: The Road to Lugia…pg. 45

Chapter 12: What's Way Out There? …..pg. 48

Chapter 13: Keep on Pushing Forward…pg. 51

Chapter 14: Climbing…...pg. 54

Chapter 15: A Pure-Hearted Trainer…pg. 57

Chapter 16: A New Friendship…pg. 62

Chapter 17: Departure….pg. 68

Chapter 18: Mew….pg. 71

Chapter 19: It's Okay…..pg. 74

Chapter 20: Home…...pg. 78

Chapter 21: Reunion…pg. 82

Chapter 22: The Road to Somewhere…..pg. 84

Reference Table for Pokémon Mentioned…pg. 86

Prologue: The Towers

A century and a half ago, there were two magnificent towers atop a large hill. The locals referred to these hallowed grounds as the "Brass Tower," and inside lived a beautiful Pokémon. Its name was Lugia, the Guardian of the Sea. Lugia was white and blue, with large wings and a long neck. Adjacent to this tower stood the "Tin Tower," and it had a shining clock that chimed day in and day out, hour after hour. Another, just as gorgeous, Pokémon resided in this tower, and its name was Ho-Oh, the Guardian of the Sky. Ho-Oh was the colors of the rainbow, with long, beautiful wings.

These two legendary Pokémon, Lugia and Ho-Oh, bestowed their powers of happiness and warmth to the people, and in return, the people cared for the towers where they resided. However, one day, a tragedy struck that would alter the course of history.

In the eye of a massive hurricane, the towers were both struck by lightning. A magnificent fire consumed them both, and they each burned to the ground before the sheets of rain extinguished the flames. Lugia and Ho-Oh fled off into the night, never to be seen again by the people of the city.

Before Ho-Oh departed, it resurrected three beasts from the dead: Raikou, the Beast of Lightning and embodiment of the lightning that struck the towers; Entei, the Beast of Fire and representation of the raging inferno; and Suicune, the Beast of Water and embodiment of the downpour that quenched the flames. They ran off into the wild, only appearing to those with the purest of souls.

Lugia created three of the same creatures, except they were birds. These birds represented similar qualities: Zapdos, representing lightning; Articuno, representing snow (Lugia was already the Guardian of the Sea); and Moltres, representing fire.

These three birds were meant to watch over the people of the city, but they refused Lugia's demands and followed it. However, they lost course and settled in the Orange Islands, where they have resided for a century and a half.

And thus, the legend of Lugia and Ho-Oh were lost to time, preserved in drawings and bedtime tales, and only remembered by the ruins in the center of the city. One boy, however, would change that legend's tale, and possibly change the world itself.

Chapter 1: Beginnings

Inside a small house on the outskirts of the Kanto Region, a lonely boy lay on his bed, daydreaming of what could have been. His room was rather crowded, with action figures lining the shelves and posters dotting the walls. Various flyers for Pokémon Tournaments outside of Kanto lay on the floor, and empty _pokéballs he collected when he was younger lay scattered on his desk in a corner. Outside, it was moderately snowing, since it was mid-January._

_This boy's name was Lucas. He was thirteen years old today, and that was something he didn't want to think about. He was average height, with blue-green eyes, blonde hair, and a smile that would make anyone's day brighter. However, he was not smiling today._

_Three years ago, on this day, Lucas would have been able to start the beautiful journey of becoming a Pokémon Master. However, his mother and father got into a massive fight over letting him go, and his mother, who didn't want him to leave, won. His dad had always dreamed of his son being a great Pokémon Master, and left the family when the forced decision was made. He spent the entire day crying in his room, watching the other three children receive their starters from his window._

_"One day," Lucas said to himself as he stared up at a Sinnoh Tournament poster on his ceiling, "One day, I'll leave this place. I'll go across the world, I'll train Pokémon, and I'll find my true purpose in this life… maybe even some new friends, who knows?"_

_"Lucas! Get down here and take out the garbage, for heaven's sake! It reeks!" shouted his mother._

_"Alright, alright! I'm coming! Jeez, mom," he shouted back. He then proceeded to barrel down the stairs and do a flip on the fifth one. His mother looked at him sternly, shook her head, but then couldn't help herself from laughing._

_"Lucas, you're going to ruin the floors if you keep doing that!" she said, chuckling._

_"Oh, come on! It's fun. Besides, it's snowing out, so I can't do it out there," Lucas replied._

_Lucas hauled the garbage outside into the lined street can. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a wild Trubbish. Trubbish was a rather strange Pokémon, feeding only on garbage in the backs of garbage trucks. Each Trubbish had two "ties" on their heads, making them resemble trash bags, and stubby arms that could barely reach around their waist. This one, however, appeared to be lost._

_"Hey, pal," Lucas spoke to the creature, "You hungry?" He then proceeded to toss a few pieces of rotting vegetables at the Pokémon, to its delight. It gulped them down happily and skipped into the woods behind the house. _

_Lucas shivered in the January cold, and then jogged back inside. He put a new liner in the bin, barreled back upstairs, and flopped on his bed. It wasn't long after he turned on the local "Pokémon Battle" channel on the television that his mother called him again._

_"Lucas! You need to remember to push in your chair," she hollered at him._

_This time, he didn't barrel down the stairs. He walked down, pushed it in quickly, and tried to make it past his mother quietly._

_"Lucas," she said, condescendingly. Too late. "Are you alright? It's your birthday, you should be happy!" she implored._

_"Maybe if I could finally leave, I'd be a bit happier. Why do you want to keep me here so badly?" Lucas asked her. When she didn't give him an answer, he walked away._

_He walked back into his room, shut the door harder than he probably should have, and sat by the window with the TV on in the background._

_A few moments later, his mother walked into the room. "Lucas, can we talk?" she asked._

_"Sure. Come in," Lucas replied with a flat tone._

_"Listen, I know you want to leave," she began, sitting beside him at the window nook. "But you're not ready. I'm not ready, either, to be honest… I have some personal issues with you leaving as well."_

_"Like what? Are you afraid or something?" Lucas asked her._

_"Yes, actually. You know your brother, right?" she asked Lucas, who shook his head. _

_"No. I know he exists, but I don't know his name or anything. All you've told me is that I have a brother," he replied._

_"Your brother's name was Silver. He was a mischief maker when he lived with us. We didn't let him go until he was 18, because he was…troubled, per say, as a kid. He was constantly angry at everyone, and we didn't think that he'd be able to cope with the world. Believe me, your father and I tried to help him… therapists, doctors, the whole nine yards," she said. "None of it helped, though. When he left, four years before your birth, he never contacted us again. Literally dropped off the face of the Earth, you see? The only way I know he's still alive is the fact that an officer hasn't shown up and told me he's dead."_

_"Dang," Lucas said, shocked. He didn't know the full story until now._

_Yeah… and that's why I don't want you to leave, Lucas. I'm afraid that I'll lose my last son. I don't want to worry about you, day in and day out, you know? That would kill me as a mother! And after your father left… I don't think I could take it," she told him. Lucas looked out of the window for a moment, finally understanding his mother's side of the story._

_"Well, I can assure you that I'm not as immature as my brother sounds. And if I had a cell phone, you'd be able to keep contact with me on the daily! Also, besides, it's not like I wouldn't become homesick after a while. I'd still come visit!" Lucas thought. His mother looked at him, smiling._

_"I never really thought of that before. Maybe you're right," she said. "I'll give it some thought, though. As of right now, I'm not saying yes or no."_

_"Hey, I'll take a 'yes' or 'maybe' any day of the week," Lucas laughed. He gave his mother a hug before she walked out of the room._

_"Oh, wait, mom," Lucas stopped her. "Do you need help with dinner?"_

_"Nope! Take the night off, we're going to have cheesesteaks tonight. I'm going to hop in the shower, and I'll be out shortly. Just relax for a bit, alright?" she told him._

_"Got it. Thanks!" Lucas replied._

_Directly after the conversation between Lucas and his mother, fate took hold of Lucas' life and turned it upside down._

_It just so happened that a Torchic stumbled past his house and got frightened by a Rattata, a small purple rat Pokémon with large front teeth and a curling tail. Torchic, as the name implies, is a baby chick, fire-type Pokémon. However cute they may be, their fiery breath burns at a superheated 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. And this fact was made more prominent by the flame it shot out at this time. The wooden house caught fire, changing Lucas' life from that point forward, and starting a journey he always wanted – but at a cost he couldn't imagine._

_Chapter 2: Winter Fire_

_As Lucas lay on his bed, he caught a whiff of something very foul._

_"Mph. Mom's probably burning dinner again," he chuckled to himself. "But… wait.I thought she was in the shower?" He walked out of his room, confused._

_"Hey mom? I thought you were in the shower! Are you sure you don't need my help with anything?" he yelled down the stairs. But then, he stopped outside his mother's door._

_"That's strange," he said. He heard the distinct sound of water running in his mother's bathroom; she was taking a shower. Loud music was playing in her bathroom, and her door appeared to be locked. "Oh, no! No, no, no!" Lucas shouted. He finally put his finger on what the smell was, and he didn't like it one bit. When he checked outside the kitchen window, he saw a blinding light._

_The house was on fire._

_He rushed back up to his mom's room, but the door was clearly locked. He tried to bash through the door, but couldn't. He simply wasn't strong enough. He tried again and again, but to no avail, and didn't stop until his shoulder hurt._

_"Mom!" he screamed in desperation. "Mom, open up! The house is on fire! Mom!" But she couldn't hear him – her music was simply too loud, and the sound of the water was on top of that, rendering her deaf to the outside world._

_Lucas rushed back downstairs and looked for the fire extinguisher. He knew it was near the cooktop, but the living room, bathroom, and kitchen were now engulfed in flames, and he realized that he'd kill himself trying to get to it. The only thing he could do was try to get out. He tried his mother's door one more time, but failed. Tears started running down his cheeks, but he had no time to lose._

_ He grabbed his bookbag, a handful of three or four pok_é_balls, some clothes, and a thin blanket. He then darted downstairs and out the front door with his light jacket._

_ As Lucas ran, he heard a loud blast come from behind him, and the shockwave knocked him to the ground. He hesitantly stood up, turned around, and saw a fireball rise up into the air. The fire must have gotten to the boiler room and ignited the flammable gasses inside._

_ All he could do was stare in horror. A single tear tricked down his face, and then another. Before long, he was sobbing in the snow, watching the fire consume his bedroom, his mother's room, and everything he ever knew. _

_I never wanted this, __he thought to himself, __I never wanted to leave everything behind like this._

_ He felt nothing. For some reason, although the tears kept flowing, he felt no sadness for his mother, his house, or his possessions. Perhaps the true extent of what just occurred hadn't hit him yet, or he was subconsciously blocking it out? _

_All Lucas could do was run. He didn't want to go to the professor, his distant neighbors' houses, or anywhere else – they'd surely call the police and fire department. He wanted to go far, far away from here._

_ʘ_

_Lucas felt nothing but pure cold. He had been walking for hours, his tears were frozen to his face, and he could barely feel his legs. He was practically shivering more than he was walking. His blanket and jacket didn't do much to help him, either._

_Suddenly, Lucas felt dizzy, and he collapsed into the freezing snow. __Not like this…please… __he thought. Contrary to his thoughts, he began to lose hope, and wanted the night to end. Yet the snow kept falling, growing colder and colder, freezing on his body and locking his joints. He was trying to stop the tears from forming in his eyes, but couldn't, and they only froze on his face more and more._

_And then, he saw a light._

_It was very faint, and he couldn't make out what it was. He managed to squeal for help in a cracked, shaky, and sporadic voice, and then it got brighter. He realized it was swaying in and out of view, and it appeared to be a fire. _

_Lucas finally had a small amount of hope in him. If he could just make it to the flame, he'd be safe. He noticed it was moving closer to him at a faster rate, and this boosted his sunken spirits. He started to slowly crawl towards it… but then looked up in horror._

_Right in front of his eyes was a massive beast. Its claws were outstretched in front of it, a snarl on its snout, and its wings were out as wide as they could be. Its orange hide was visible near the flame on its tail. _

_Lucas slowly realized that he was staring at a Charizard, and then further realized that he was in its territory. He had read about what happens when someone enters a wild Charizard's territory uninvited, and needless to say, it's not a good outcome._

_Lucas' heart sank, and he tried to crawl away, but he could barely move at this point. Lucas slowly curled up in a ball, using his hands to defend his face, and squeezing his eyes shut. He couldn't speak any more, so the only sounds he made was small, sporadic whimpering sounds. _

_However, the strangest thing happened. The Charizard's facial expression changed, and his crossed eyes softened in pity. Instead of attacking him, the wild Charizard turned around, and used its flamethrower attack on the ground. The snow was almost instantly melted, steaming in the heat of the flame and dissipating rapidly. Then, the Charizard slowly picked Lucas up, laid him on the now-warm grass, and curled up next to him. It tucked its tail up towards Lucas' chest to warm him, and brought its head around to warm up Lucas more._

_All Lucas could say was a stuttered "Thank you," even though he was incredibly confused and out of it, to which the Charizard replied by gently bringing him closer into its soft, warm belly. _

_Lucas didn't wonder why the Charizard saved him. He didn't even question why it was out here in this weather, alone. Instead, he resolved on the fact that it was merely being compassionate and sympathetic. He then drifted off to sleep, safe in the arms of the Charizard._

_Chapter 3: Mythical Memory Dreams_

_Lucas woke up to a soft bed of nicely textured grass and thin, lush moss. When he stood up, he slowly examined his surroundings, before realizing with a jolt that he was in the woods. He couldn't see any houses around, either. After a split second, it dawned on him that he was lost._

_"__Hello?__" he shouted. "__Hello! Anyone there?__" That was when Lucas noticed a stream off in the distance, and booked toward it._

_"__Mom? Dad? Hello?__" he cried. No Answer._

_When he made it into the clearing, what he saw amazed him. He was standing at the bank of the deepest river in the Kanto region. He looked down into the crystal-clear water, twelve feet deep, and fell back in horror._

_He could have sworn he saw a Gyarados._

_Gyarados was a flying and water type Pokémon, longer than two busses lined up, and resembling a Chinese dragon. It evolved from a Magikarp, a pathetic fish Pokémon that could only flap around. Legends have it that Magikarp was fed up with people abusing it and bullying it, so it sent a wish to Xerneas, the Pokémon of Life. In return, Xerneas evolved Magikarp into Gyarados, making a god in the process._

_Lucas wondered in horror what a Gyarados was doing in a river. However, he had no time to think about it, as he heard a rustling behind him. He swiveled around in a quick, panicked fashion, and then something amazing happened._

_A very mystifying Pokémon emerged from the bushes. It was floating in the air, looking straight at Lucas. It had a pink-ish tint on its skin, and a short snout. Its long tail ended in a bulge. Lucas immediately knew what he was seeing. He was seeing the one mythical Pokémon that held the genetic code for all Pokémon. Of course, this Pokémon was, well… a myth. But Lucas always believed in it, and always wished that he could be the one to find it._

_"__Oh my god…__" Lucas trailed off. "__The legends…they're all true…but…__"_

_It simply replied by saying its name: "__Mew__," it said._

_"__Mew… I always did believe in you. Everyone said you were just a legend, but I always believed. But, why are you here?__" Lucas asked, dumbfounded and amazed.. _

_Mew floated over and put its paw-like hand in Lucas'. Immediately, Lucas noticed a change in the world. He couldn't put his finger on what exactly that change was until he looked in Mew's blue eyes._

_"__Mew… your eyes are so… gorgeous. They gleam like the stars,__" He slowly stated._

_As Lucas looked into Mew's eyes, a strange calm came over him. Suddenly, he wasn't afraid anymore. He wasn't afraid of being lost, the Gyarados in the depths of the river, or where his parents were._

_Lucas noticed a twinkle in Mew's eyes and a smile crept across both their faces. Then, Mew cocked its head, gasped, and vanished right before Lucas noticed what it was looking at. He swiveled his head around to a rustling in the bush._

_Suddenly, both his parents emerged with a police officer right behind. Lucas rushed to his parents, who scooped him up into their arms and cried with joy._

_ "__We were so scared! How did you get lost in the first place?__" his parents asked._

_ "__I just… I just wanted to keep on walking. I don't know why, but I did. Something was guiding me to this river,__" Lucas explained._

_ "__Son, you'll never become a Pokémon trainer if you get lost like this. You need to be more careful,__" His father said to him._

_ "__But dad, isn't that what becoming a trainer is all about? Seeing where the world takes you?__" Lucas replied._

_ His father didn't argue with him, but just smiled and told him to at least be more mindful of where he's going._

_ Lucas looked back to where Mew had been floating. He could see, in the distance, a floating haze that looked just like Mew, but before he could determine what it was, it darted into the thick forest. Lucas smiled, and whispered "__Thank you.__"_

_ And he knew, somehow, that Mew heard him._

_Chapter 4: An Unexpected Friend_

_ Lucas woke up staring into the woods. However, he was no longer dreaming. He did, however, remember the events from his dream vividly. All those events happened when he was eight years old. He thought about it every single day, clutching onto the hope of meeting Mew again in the future._

_ He shifted his weight onto his feet, slowly stood up, and looked around. A fire was blazing near him from a small pile of logs, keeping him warm for the time being. It had stopped snowing, to his delight; it was also noticeably warmer, for some reason…unseasonably warm, in fact. Lucas took off his jacket, stuffing it into the backpack that was a few feet away from him, and noticed that the snow was almost all melted._

_ As he turned behind him, he saw the Charizard that saved his life. It was standing in front of a small, round object that Lucas noticed to be a pok_é_ball._

_ "You saved me… thank you," Lucas said._

_ "You're welcome," the Charizard replied._

_ Lucas stumbled back in shock. "Wha… what the heck! You… you can talk! How can you talk?!" he shouted._

_ "I… wait… you can understand me?" Charizard replied._

_ "Yes!" Lucas exclaimed back. "How?"_

_ "I don't know. Maybe… actually, no. I really don't know. People only hear me saying 'Char' over and over again," it replied._

_Lucas pinched his arm tightly. "This has to be a dream. All of this has to be a crazy, messed up dream!" he told himself. "Wake up, wake up, wake up!" Burying his face in what was left of the snow, swinging it back and forth, he muffled "WAKE UP, DANG IT!" When he finally lifted his head, wiping the snow away, he noticed that the Charizard was still there._

_Tentatively, he commanded the beast before him. "Say something. Anything!"_

_"Um… hi?" the Pokémon replied. _

_"Yeah. Alright, this isn't a dream! What the heck is going on?" Lucas asked. "Am I going crazy?"_

_"I don't think so. However, the cold messed you up pretty bad last night," the Charizard responded. "How do you feel?"_

_"Better, I guess. I still feel like myself…" Lucas replied. _

_"And anyways, you don't have to thank me. In fact, I should be apologizing. I scared the crap out of you earlier," Charizard told him._

_ "It's fine. My name's Lucas, by the way. Lucas Parker," Lucas replied, still shocked that he was carrying on a conversation with a talking Charizard. "And after all, I was in your space. But why did you save me?"_

_ "Nice to meet you, Lucas. And, well, as for saving you, I saw how desperate you were. You had tears frozen to your face, and you were crawling in the snow, shivering like a leaf in a breeze. I couldn't just let you die." Charizard explained. "And… I also saw something special in you. A special connection, of sorts. I can't put my wing on it, but I knew that I wanted to be with you."_

_ "What do you mean, 'be with you?'" Lucas asked._

_ A solemn look washed over Charizard's face as he responded. "About a week ago, I lost my trainer. He just left one morning after telling me to stay put, and never came back. I've been waiting for him for days now, and I was planning on roasting him when he returned. I… I think he's dead. But I see something more in you, like a spark that my trainer never had. And I want to be part of your life, your journey. Lucas…can I be your Pokémon partner? Can you catch me and train me?"_

_ A smile came over Lucas, and a tear of joy ran down his cheek. He and Charizard both knew the answer to his question._

_He finally had a friend for his journey. This is what he'd been waiting for his whole life! He grabbed the pok_é_ball off the ground, and looked at Charizard. Charizard smiled at him, and Lucas noticed a tear running down his snout, too._

_"Together?" Lucas asked._

_"Together!" Charizard replied with glee._

_Lucas tossed the white and red pok_é_ball at Charizard, and it bopped him on the head. He disappeared inside, and then the ball started to shake. Finally, the ball settled, clicked, and remained still. Lucas picked it up and pressed the button._

As the _pok_é_ball opened up, _Charizard appeared a few meters away in a bright flash of light. He emerged with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes. Lucas ran up to Charizard and wrapped his arms around him, who hugged Lucas back in return.

"Come on pal. Let's go," Lucas said, finally letting go.

"Where? Anywhere?" Charizard asked.

"Wherever the world takes us."

Chapter 5: Shoulders to Lean On

Hours later, Lucas and Charizard came across a trio of travelers. Lucas decided to stay a few feet away from them for safety's sake. However, they seemed to be younger than him, albeit only by a few years.

One of them was wearing green, fingerless gloves, jeans, a blue jacket, and a red cap. His hair was all messed up, and he had a wide grin on his face. The second was a girl; she was wearing short-shorts, a yellow top with red straps, and she had red hair. Finally, there was a taller boy, who looked to be about the same age as Lucas. He had slightly darker skin, jeans, and a blue and orange jacket.

"Hey!" the traveler with the cap said. "Where are you off to?"

"I don't really know," Lucas replied. "Anywhere, I guess."

"Same goes for us. We're just trying to find the nearest gym. Would you just happen to know, by chance?" said the older one.

"No. I just started traveling," Lucas said, slightly embarrassed. He looked up at Charizard, and he smiled reassuringly back at Lucas.

"We should probably introduce ourselves. My name's Ash Ketchum. I come from Pallet Town," The traveler with the cap said.

"I'm Misty. You've probably seen me from the Cerulean City Gym," The girl said, smiling.

Lucas beamed. He recognized her vividly, now that she said her name. She was one of the most respected trainers in Cerulean City!

Finally, the older one spoke. "I'm from the Pewter City Gym. My name is—"

Lucas cut him off, exclaiming "You're Brock! I've seen you and Misty on TV! You guys are awesome!"

"Yeah, thanks!" Misty and Brock replied.

"Are you from a gym, too?" Lucas asked Ash.

Ash laughed, and said "Nah. One day I will be, though! I just started out on my journey about a week ago."

Lucas noticed a Pikachu on Ash's shoulder. Pikachu was an electric-type mouse Pokémon, with cute red cheeks and a tail that looked like a lightning bolt. In response to what Ash said, the Pikachu cried out with glee "Pikachu!"

"So, what about you?" Ash asked Lucas.

"I just started out my journey today," Lucas sheepishly replied.

"What? Wait… then, how do you have a Charizard already? That's impossible!" Misty asked, dumbfounded.

"It's… it's a long story," Lucas tried to say without choking up. The reality of his situation was finally beginning to catch up to him, slowly. Charizard put his clawed hand on Lucas' shoulder.

"Do you have a_ Pok_é_dex_?" Brock asked.

"No. I never saw Professor Oak," Lucas stated. Professor Oak was the Kanto Region's main professor. He was responsible for giving out starter Pokémon to the new trainers. Lucas was starting to thoroughly regret the decision of not going to him first. However, he realized that if he did go to the professor, he wouldn't have met Charizard, and would probably be in a police station being questioned about his family.

Ash chimed in. "What exactly is going on here? Are you a thief, or what?" he implied in an accusing manner.

"Listen, it's a long story! I don't really want to go into details. But I will tell you that… that… god dang it, my house burnt down and Charizard here saved my life last night!" Lucas cried. "I have nothing left. No family, no house, nothing. I wouldn't even be alive right now if it weren't for Charizard."

Ash, Misty, and Brock all noticed a tear running down Lucas' face. They couldn't tell how severe Lucas' situation was, but they knew it was bad. And all three knew that even a criminal couldn't match the strain in his voice. After a short moment, Ash walked up to Lucas and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, it'll be alright," Ash said to Lucas, who's head was bowed down, trying not to cry. "It might not help, but I will say this: Sometimes the Universe has a sense of humor, but not a very nice one. However, sometimes things happen for a bigger reason that you can't identify. Maybe you lost everything to gain something even greater. Who knows?"

Lucas was touched by those words. He smiled and looked at Charizard next to him. Charizard drew him in close for a hug, and the trio of travelers smiled. Lucas had only known Charizard for a short while, but he felt a great connection to the beast that was hard to describe in words. Maybe this is what Ash was talking about?

"You just have to keep your chin up, you know? No matter how hard life may be, always follow your dream. Whatever that dream may be. Alright?" Brock said.

"Yeah," Lucas said, wiping away a tear. "You're right! Thanks, I… I think I needed to hear that."

"No problem," Ash said.

Misty walked over to Lucas and gave him a slim, red, metallic box with green and red lights on it. It flipped open to two screens. "Here, keep it. It's a _Pok_é_dex. Do you know how to use it?" Misty asked._

_Lucas aimed it at Pikachu. He genuinely wanted to hear its description, as he had never seen one up close._

_In an electronic voice, the Pokédex spoke. "Pikachu, the electric mouse Pokémon," it said. "Whenever Pikachu comes across something new, it blasts the object with a jolt of electricity. Finding a blackened, smoking berry patch is proof this Pokémon is nearby."_

_"That's cool!" Lucas said. On the top half of the Pokédex, it displayed images of Pikachu from all sides. On the bottom half, it displayed infrared data, anatomy, health and power stats based off of the former two, and various other medical tidbits such as its average size and heart rate._

_"Keep it! I have another," Misty said._

_"Oh my god, thank you!" Lucas exclaimed. He was finally ready to really begin his travels._

_"And here, take these," Brock said. He handed Lucas a handful of pokéballs, and Lucas noticed that some of them looked different. Some were blue with red stripes on top._

_"What are these? They look different," Lucas asked._

_"These are called Great Balls. They have a better chance of catching a Pokémon than a regular pok_é_ball. Use them wisely; they're much harder to find, and cost more from traders," Brock explained._

_"Alright! Thanks," Lucas said. He put the pokéballs in his bookbag, and decided that he'd been holding them up for too long._

_"Well, I better go. Thanks for everything!" Lucas said. "Will I see you guys again?"_

_"Don't mention it!" Ash said. "And you can count on it. Good luck to you. Hopefully, we'll meet again someday soon and we can battle!"_

_"Awesome!" Lucas gleefully replied._

_Lucas started walking down the long dirt path with Charizard. He looked behind him to see Ash, Misty, and Brock walking in the other direction. Charizard turned to him, and said, "Now I guess you're ready, huh? Kind people like them are the type of trainers I like."_

_"Yeah. Hopefully we'll see them again," Lucas replied._

_They came to a fork in the road. Lucas and Charizard looked at each other, laughed, closed their eyes, spun in a circle, and randomly stopped._

_"I guess we're going left?" Charizard asked._

_"I guess so!" Lucas laughed._

_ʘ_

Lucas and Charizard had been walking for hours. The sun had finally started to set when they came across a lantern on the shore of a lake. It was recently lit, they noticed; the wax had only just started to melt. Then, they heard voices.

"Hey! Who are you?" one voice said.

Lucas turned around to see two people in the evening sun. They both appeared to be his age. One was wearing a blue-black jacket with jeans and a white shirt. He had blue eyes and blond, sleek hair. The other one was a girl, and she looked the polar opposite. She had long black hair, brown eyes, and freckles. She was wearing a lime-green tank top with jean shorts.

"Oh, um… I'm Lucas. I'm just passing through. Who are you guys?" Lucas responded.

"I'm Jack, and this is Lily," The boy sheepishly said, as to which the girl next to him said "Hi!" The boy, Jack, looked at Lucas and said, "What are you doing around here?"

"Oh, well, I came to a fork a little while back, and I just turned left. Charizard and I have been walking for hours," Lucas said.

"Oh. Seeing where the world takes you, I presume?" Lily said. "Want to travel with us? We're doing the same thing."

"Sure! How long have you guys been traveling?" Lucas asked.

Lily spoke first, saying "I've been traveling for about a year. I ran into Jack here shortly after I left home, and he's been traveling for about as long as I have. What about you?"

"I just started today. I wouldn't be, if Charizard hadn't saved my life last night," Lucas said. "Before you guys ask, it's a long story."

"Well, don't worry about it. We won't bother you with asking about details," Lily said. "We just want to make more friends. After all, that IS what the journey is all about."

Lucas smiled and sat down by the bright lantern. He and Charizard looked at each other with glee.

"Before we start traveling again, we should get some rest. Here, I packed an extra sleeping bag," Jack said, not looking up that much, but also being polite. Lucas noticed that he seemed a little shy, but that was alright.

Lucas looked at Charizard, who's facial expression read, _You don't need it. I've got you, buddy._

Lucas smiled, and turned back to face Jack. "You know what? I'm good, actually. I've got Charizard here to keep me warm."

As the night set in, Jack and Lily fell asleep. Lucas was sitting by the lake, looking up at the stars, and bundling up in his jacket. The cold weather finally set in again, but now Lucas felt prepared.

When he went back, he laid down on his side, almost forgetting that Charizard was nearby. Just like the night before, Charizard wrapped his arm around Lucas' waist, curled his tail towards Lucas' chest, and rotated his head around. Lucas and Charizard both smiled, and gradually fell asleep.

Chapter 6: Rivals

The next day was sunny and warm, again. Lucas, Charizard, Jack, and Lily were strolling down the road when all of the sudden a duo of adults and a cat-like Pokémon jumped out from a tree, gracefully landing after performing daring stunts in the air. One was a girl, and another was a boy. All three travelers stopped in surprise.

Both the girl and the boy had white clothes on, and each top they wore had a large red "R" on it. The boy had frizzy blue hair, while the girl had gelled, pointy red hair.

Lucas whipped out the Pokédex Misty had given him and aimed it at the Pokémon alongside the two mysterious strangers.

"Meowth, the cat Pokémon. Meowth has sharp claws and long legs that allow it to launch quick attacks. It seems to be attracted to shiny objects such as coins and jewelry," the Pokédex said.

Both strangers laughed in unison and started singing a relatively cringey song:

"Prepare for trouble, and make it double!" they both said.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To protect the—"

"Listen, buddies, we aren't trying to buy anything, nor do we want to. Just let us be," Lucas said, to which Jack and Lily nodded together.

"Hey! You didn't let us finish! I'm Jessie," said the girl with the red hair, "and I'm James!" shouted the boy with blue hair. "We're Team Rocket!"

"Uh-huh," Lily said. "So, what do you guys want?"

"We want that Charizard! It looks powerful, so give it to us!" James replied smugly.

Lucas was taken aback. These guys were thieves! "Never!" Lucas cried. "Not to you weirdos, and not to anyone, ever! Now scram!"

"Then I guess we'll have to just take it, twerps!" Jessie cried. "Ekans, go!"

She threw a pokéball and it opened in a flash of light. Out came a purple, snake-like Pokémon with a yellow underbelly. Lucas had seen one before, so he didn't need the Pokédex for it. He knew that its bite was incredibly venomous, however, so he had to watch out.

"Alright, Charizard. You ready?" Lucas asked. He could see that the dragon was already angry.

Charizard replied, "Let's do this!" with a determined look on his face.

"Great! Charizard, I choose you!" Lucas cried.

Lucas may have never been a trainer, but he had spent enough time watching trainers battle on the TV to know what to do. He had spent years memorizing every move for every type of Pokémon, just by watching them on a screen.

"Ekans, use Poison Sting now!" Jessie shouted.

Ekans lunged at Charizard, bearing its fangs and hissing. Charizard flew to the side and dodged the attack, surprising Lucas with his speed.

"Charizard, use Flamethrower!" Lucas cried. To this, Charizard nodded, and turned to Jessie's Ekans, who was still recovering from the attack.

Charizard then breathed in a large gulp of air, and proceeded to spit it all out in a flaming inferno. The Ekans was caught right in the center of the blast, and it tried to dig into the ground. However, it failed, and proceeded to fly backwards to Jessie's feet.

James began to pull out his pokéball, but Jessie stopped him.

"James, it's not worth it. Did you see that blast? Koffing won't stand a chance against that Charizard. Let's get out of here! Besides, there's probably something in the forest even more worth taking," Jessie said. "Ekans, return!"

The Ekans disappeared into the pokéball, and then both of them ran off into the thick forest, with the Meowth not far behind.

"Alright, Charizard! We did it! Yes!" Lucas exclaimed. He gave Charizard a high five and started cheering. Charizard responded, laughing "I kind of want to do that again!", and Lucas agreed with him.

"Lucas, that was awesome! A one-hit takeout! Where did you learn to battle?" Jack asked.

"I watched battles on TV all the time. I guess you could say I was mentally training myself," Lucas responded happily.

"Well, I'd say that you handled yourself pretty well. Great job!" Lily said.

"Thanks! How about we get going, huh? And watch out for more creeps like them," Lucas said. They all laughed, and continued down the path.

Chapter 7: Gaining Trust

After the incident with Team Rocket, the trio mindlessly followed the path for a few more hours. After that, they came across a random park bench. They couldn't really figure out how it got here, because they were miles away from the nearest town.

Lucas, Jack, and Lily sat down, all exhausted from walking. Finally, Jack spoke up.

"Hey, Lucas? Can I ask you something?" he said.

"Sure, go for it," Lucas replied.

"When we met, you said that it was a long story regarding you meeting Charizard. This may sound a little pushy, but if we can really trust you, can you tell us what happened?" he asked in a tentative but firm tone.

Lucas knew that there was no way out of this. A part of him knew that it was almost impossible to explain himself, and another part of him knew that there was no way the other two would believe him.

"I don't want to go into details. It's hard enough as it is," Lucas said. He squeezed his eyes shut and hoped that Jack and Lily would leave him alone. They didn't, however.

"Listen, Lucas," Lily said warmly, "We know that something caused you to run off. We can tell… we see it all over your face, to be honest. No thirteen-year-old randomly leaves home, meets a Charizard, and starts their journey with a Pokédex with someone else's name."

Lucas knew that they had seen him use the Pokédex to identify Team Rocket's Meowth. He didn't know that they had seen the ID in the corner of it. Lucas resolved inside to pull himself together and come to grips with the fact that he had no choice but to face the truth. He looked up at Charizard for help.

"Tell them, Lucas. It'll be fine. I'm here for you if you need help, buddy," Charizard said reassuringly.

"Ok, I'll… I'll do it," Lucas replied, nervousness in his voice.

Lucas stood up and faced them, and in response Jack and Lily leaned in closer and listened to Lucas tell his story.

"When I was ten, my parents got into a big fight over letting me leave home to start on my journey of becoming a Pokémon Master. My mom didn't want me to leave, as I was her only son, but my dad was always supportive of my dream and vouched for me to leave, saying 'it was my destiny,'" Lucas told them.

"My mom eventually won, and out of anger, my dad left home. I haven't seen him for three years.

"For those three years I sat in my bedroom, growing up and watching the new ten-year-old kids leave town on their own paths. I hoped that one day I could be a part of that myself.

"Then, two days ago, my house caught on fire, and I don't know how or why. I tried to save my mom, but she was in the shower and didn't hear me. I couldn't do anything but yell for her."

Lucas started to choke up, and tears started to run down his face. Charizard was hearing this story for the first time as well, and he started to tear up as well. He drew Lucas in for a hug, who started to weep mournfully. After a minute, Lucas gathered all the composure he could muster to keep on telling the story.

"I had no choice but to get what I could and get out. As I was running, I heard a blast, and I turned around to see my house go up in a big fireball. I think the flames reached the boiler in the basement, and that caused the explosion. For some reason, I decided to keep running... I didn't go to Professor Oak, a Pokémon Center, or anywhere. I just ran. The last thing I wanted was to go to the police, and if I went to any of those places, I'd surely be at the station right now.

"After a while, it became so cold that I couldn't even walk. I was lost in the forest, and thought that I was going to die alone. And then, I met Charizard. He saved my life.

"I know this may sound crazy, and I don't expect you to believe me, but I can understand what Charizard is saying. We can actually talk to each other, in perfect English. He told me that his trainer abandoned him, and he thought I was his trainer trying to come back. He almost killed me out of anger, actually, but after that night he wanted me to catch him and travel with me. And now here we are.

"That's my story. That's how I found Charizard. And as for the Pokédex, I ran across a trio of trainers, and one had a spare. She let me keep it," Lucas finished.

Charizard looked at Lucas and drew him in for another embrace. Lucas feebly smiled and wrapped his arms around Charizard in return, tears still streaming, but less so than before now that he got the story off of his chest.

Jack and Lily both stared at Lucas and Charizard, humbled by his story. They finally understood why Lucas was sensitive about telling it.

After a while, Jack spoke up. "I'm… I'm so sorry, Lucas, I… that's horrible."

"I had no idea, Lucas. I'm really sorry," Lily said after him.

"Don't apologize, guys," Lucas said, "You guys are right. If I'm going to travel with you guys, then I have to be honest. And besides, you already told me how you guys met, so it's only fair. Also," he looked up at his companion, "I have Charizard here for me. If none of that ever happened, I wouldn't be here with him."

In response, Charizard smiled warmly towards Lucas. Both he and Lucas knew that their journey would be epic as long as they stuck together.

"So, you can understand him?" Jack said, pointing to Charizard.

"Yeah. Crazy, right? Can you guys understand any of your Pokémon?" Lucas responded.

"No, we can't," Jack responded, "But there are rare instances when a Pokémon can communicate telepathically, even though it's not a psychic-type. Maybe that's the case here?"

"Maybe," Lucas said wonderingly. Then, a thought popped into his head. "Can you see Charizard's lips moving when he talks to me, like forming words, or does it just seem as if he's repeating his name?"

"Nope. It just looks like he's either saying his name or growling like dragons do. Why? Can you see his lips moving?" Lily replied.

"Yeah… that's so weird!" Lucas replied. "It actually looks like he's talking!"

"Well, then, it's either psychological or psychic. Either way, it's super cool! Being able to accurately communicate with Pokémon is something I wish I could do," Jack stated.

All of the sudden, the four of them heard distant yelping coming from the woods, followed by evil-sounding laughter. They all looked at each other, and darted towards the sound.

Chapter 8: Saving Dratini

Lucas and Charizard realized that they were way ahead of the others. Both were running as fast as they could towards the whining. To Lucas, it sounded like someone was hurting a Pokémon, and this drove him to keep on sprinting, slapping away branches and twigs.

When Lucas and Charizard emerged the from the trees, they saw a sight that made Lucas' heart sink down to his feet. The same duo from earlier, Jesse and James from Team Rocket, had a net around what appeared to be a serpent Pokémon. Lucas recognized the creature to be a Dratini, a very rare Pokémon. It was so rare, in fact, that he had only seen a trainer use one on TV once. He whipped out his Pokédex, turned down the volume, and pointed the antennae at the Dratini.

"Dratini, the dragon Pokémon. Dratini is a very rare Pokémon that very few trainers ever catch. It constantly molts off its skin, because the life energy inside of it continues to grow at a steady rate as it prepares for evolution."

Lucas put away his Pokédex and stared in horror. _I have to stop them! _he thought to himself.

Jack and Lily caught up to Lucas and Charizard and gasped when they saw what Team Rocket was doing.

Lucas was furious. He jumped out of the bushes and stood up erect, yelling at the top his lungs.

"Hey! Stop, now!" he cried.

The Team Rocket duo jumped, startled, and looked at Lucas. "Scram, twerp!" James said dismissively. "This isn't any of your business. Now get out of here! Jessie, don't be so rough with it. Remember, this is for the boss."

"Listen, buddy! That's NOT how you catch a Pokémon! Let it go, now!" Lucas said angrily.

"We were here first, and we got it fair and square! Get out of here!" Jessie said.

"Never!" Lucas exclaimed. He pointed his finger towards Team Rocket, and shouted "Let's get em', Charizard!"

Charizard flew in front of Lucas and shot a burst of flame into the air. He balled his clawed hands into fists and snarled at the criminals.

Jessie and James both remembered how powerful Charizard was. They didn't bother to use their own Pokémon. Instead, they did the last thing Lucas thought they would do: they fled.

As they ran off, Lucas heard Jessie say "Come on, James. Let's just focus on that other kid's Pikachu!"

Lucas ran over to the Dratini and tried to untie it from the net. However, the net was tightly laced around the creature, and he knew he was going to need a knife to cut through. He reached into his backpack and pulled out his emergency switchblade, opened it up, and gently started to cut the rope. _Thank god there was already hiking supplies in my bag before my house went up in flames_, he thought to himself.

The Dratini looked up at Lucas with eyes that showed a mix of terror and gratitude. Lucas looked down at the Pokémon, met its gaze, and smiled warmly as if to say,_ Everything is going to be okay._

Lucas finally cut the last bit of rope from the net, and the Dratini lunged out quicker than he'd ever seen a Pokémon move. Then, it just stared at Lucas with grateful eyes.

"Go on, now, buddy, you're safe. Go home," Lucas said reassuringly.

However, the Dratini moved closer. Finally, after giving Lucas one last pleading look, it jumped into the air and knocked an empty pokéball off of Lucas' waist. The ball landed in front of Lucas' feet, who then picked it up, looked at it, and looked back at the Dratini.

The Dratini slithered in a circle happily, crying "Dratini!" over and over again.

"You want me to catch you?" Lucas asked. The Dratini said its name again, even happier than before, and then stopped moving as it waited for Lucas to throw the pokéball.

"Alright!" Lucas said with a smile, "Pokéball, go!"

He tossed the pokéball at the Dratini, who jumped up and touched it with its forehead. It then disappeared into the pokéball, shook once, and clicked shut.

"Awesome!" Lucas shouted. "I caught Dratini! This is amazing!"

Charizard grabbed Lucas' hands and swung him in a circle, and both of them laughed with glee together.

"Great job, Lucas, that's your second Pokémon!" Charizard said with a beaming smile, "You may be new and inexperienced, but you're brave and pure of heart. That's what makes a great trainer. And I think that's what I saw in you."

Lucas beamed even more, and then they all started to walk back down to the path.

ʘ

That night, Lucas lay beside Charizard, whose arm was resting over his waist. He noticed that Charizard was fast asleep, smiling. He groaned, tucked his tail more, and drew Lucas closer into his belly.

Lucas thought about how his new Dratini was doing in its pokéball, smiled, and closed his eyes. He tried to imagine what's inside a pokéball. He thought of a small, comfortable world inside of it, where the Pokémon could frolic in fields, fly through the air, and do what they loved.

To this thought, he looked at Charizard's snout right above his head.

_I guess some Pokémon love their trainers too much to stay inside. _Lucas thought to himself. To this image, he fell asleep.

Chapter 9: Legendary Calling

_Lucas was standing in a field of knee-high grass. He looked around for Jack, Lily, and Charizard, but couldn't see them. He then looked at his waist, noticing all his pokéballs were gone, including his Dratini. The evening sun was starting to set._

"Hello?_" Lucas yelled._

_He heard three distinct screeches come from above. He looked above his head to find three large birds above him. One by one, they each landed around him._

_Lucas read about these Pokémon a long time ago in school. They were the three legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres. Lucas stared in awe at the birds._

_Articuno was blue, with a white chest, long wings, and a long, waving tail; Zapdos was all yellow and black, with pointed wings and a pointed beak; and Moltres was a tan color, with long, flaming wings and a flaming back._

_Then, out of the grass, came three large beasts. Lucas knew these ones by heart, too. They were Entei, Raikou, and Suicune, the three legendary beasts from the legend of the Brass and Tin Towers._

_He had read about these six legendary Pokémon in school for history class. All of them crowded around him, one by one, and just stared at him._

_Then, he heard another screech._

_Above his head flew two magnificent creatures. He had never seen these Pokémon before, but they looked special. One was white with a blue underbelly, and had a long neck with massive, hand-like wings; the other bird was red with a white underbelly, and it had a long beak with multicolored wings._

_Suddenly, a thought came to Lucas. He didn't know where these two names came from, but they seemed to fit._

_He looked at the white and blue one, and whispered "_Lugia…_"_

_He then looked at the red bird, and said "_Ho-Oh…_"_

_Lucas didn't know what possessed him to say those names. But somehow, he knew that they were right._

_Both landed flew down and landed in front of him. _

"Who are you?_" Lucas asked._

"You know us, Lucas,_" said the white bird. "_Or you wouldn't have said our names. And you should know that we have been watching you for a long time._"_

"What do you mean, you've been watching me? What?_" Lucas asked. He truly didn't know what was going on._

_The white bird, Lugia, spoke back. "_You are special, Lucas. You are a trainer so pure of heart, you almost gave your life to save a Dratini. Had your friends not been there, those criminals would have taken you on, three-to-one, and won.

"For a century and a half, Ho-Oh and I have been searching for a trainer like you. And now you must decide._"_

"Decide what? What exactly is going on?_" Lucas said._

"Decide on your path. You are at another fork in the road, Lucas. The only way to pick your path is to close your eyes and think hard. Would you like to follow me, or follow Ho-Oh?_" Lugia asked._

"I…uh…um… I don't know, I…_" Lucas stuttered. _

"Do not think, Lucas. Close your eyes and choose. Your heart will decide your destiny,_" the bird replied._

_Lucas closed his eyes and chose. And for some odd reason, he chose Lugia. Lugia seemed to call to him in a strange way, a way that he didn't understand and probably never would._

"Lugia. I…I choose you, Lugia._" Lucas said, somehow knowing that he had made the right choice._

_Lugia smiled and spoke to Lucas after a moment of thought._

"You will find a bright stone called a water gem. Follow the point of the gem in guidance to the Northern Star. Do not stray from your chosen path, and do not listen to voices of doubt. You will find me, I promise. The path will be difficult, and I do not expect you to make it to me unscathed... but I believe it is time that I change my destiny, as you have with yours,_" Lugia told him._

"I'll do it. I promise._" Lucas resolved._

_The six legendary Pokémon, plus Lugia and Ho-Oh, all looked towards the setting sun and closed their eyes. Lucas felt drowsy, and sat down in the tall grass._

"Don't shy away from the path, Chosen One. We all believe in you._" Lugia said to Lucas one last time._

_All the Pokémon faded into dust, and Lucas smiled as the world turned to white._

Chapter 10: The Water Gem

Lucas awoke with a jolt, and screamed "LUGIA!" He noticed Jack, Lily, and Charizard standing around him, and Charizard appeared to be shaking him.

"Are you okay, Lucas?" Charizard asked nervously. "You were mumbling in your sleep and squirming. Was it a nightmare?

"Yeah, I'm fine, I guess… it wasn't a nightmare, though," he replied.

"What? Who's Lugia?" Lily asked.

"I…I had a strange dream. I don't really know how to explain it," Lucas responded in a daze.

"Hold on, before you say anything else," Jack said with a contemplating look on his face, "That name sounds familiar. Lugia… I remember hearing that name somewhere… yes! I remember now, I heard about him in History class!"

"And?" Lucas said.

"Well, tell me what happened first," Jack responded.

Lucas recalled the dream to his three friends.

"I was standing in this large field, and it was sunset, I think. Then I saw the three legendary birds and the three legendary beasts. They all crowded around me, and just stood there. Then, I saw these two strange birds. I guess their names were Lugia and Ho-Oh. They told me to choose a path to follow, so I closed my eyes and chose 'Lugia' for some reason. I have no idea what it all means, and Pokémon Mythology really isn't my specialty, so…"

"Then what?" Jack implied. Lucas noticed his eyes were getting wider, and his voice sounded more frantic.

"Lugia told me to search for a Water Gem, and follow its point in relation to the Northern Star, or something like that. I think he means like a… like a needle on a compass? I don't know. Then, all of them faded away into some sort of dust or mist."

Jack stood there, dumbfounded. Lucas and Charizard both looked at each other, and then back at Jack, before saying "What is it?"

"That was no dream, Lucas. You had a vision," Jack replied slowly.

"What?" Lucas asked.

"Lugia is the legendary Guardian of the Sea. He created the three legendary birds Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres after the Brass Tower fell over a century and a half ago." Jack said. "Only a small handful of trainers have ever had this vision before. It means that you have to find Lugia, Lucas. He's calling you to him, because he thinks that you are pure of heart. He thinks you are the Chosen One, and wants to travel with you. Many trainers have been called, but none have succeeded… yet."

Lucas thought deep and hard about what Jack was saying. Lily just stood there, not believing what she was hearing. Charizard sat down on the ground next to Lucas. After that, they all just stood there in silence for what felt like an eternity.

Suddenly, Lucas noticed a shimmering light right near Lily's sleeping bag. When he looked over, he noticed a puddle that wasn't there before. He knew this, because they had set up their sleeping bags away from any water, and it hadn't rained a drop.

Lucas stood up and walked over to the puddle, which was roughly ankle deep. When he looked into it, a droplet fell from the sky and landed in the middle of the puddle. He looked up, only to see blue skies and no clouds.

"Lucas, look…" Lily said. Lucas swiveled his head back around to see what she was talking about.

When he looked back down, a glowing blue light was coming from the bottom of the puddle. Lucas reached inside and brushed away some dirt and mud, which eventually settled back down. Jack, Lily, and Charizard were staring over his shoulder, breathing down his neck in suspense. When he picked up the gem, he whipped a compass out of his back pocket and noted where north was in relation to the gem's point, just like Lugia had told him to do. The gem immediately swiveled in his palm and faced North.

He took a closer look at the shard. It was a transparent blue, shaped like a rain drop, and it had a beautiful diamond cut.

"So, the legend really is true…" Jack trailed off.

"This is insane!" Lily cried.

"I know what we have to do. We – or at least I – have to follow the Water Gem." Lucas said, staring at the Water Gem in amazement. On the outside, he sounded calm; but on the inside, he was a mixture of emotions he couldn't describe. Both Jack and Lily could tell he was excited.

"We'll be with you every step of the way!" Lily exclaimed. Jack nodded his head in agreement.

Charizard walked up to Lucas, and put a hand on his shoulder. "As will I, pal," he said with a warm smile.

Lucas smiled back, even happier than before, and exclaimed "Let's go find Lugia!"

Chapter 11: The Road to Lugia

Lucas looked down at his map. They appeared to still be walking through the Kanto Region, apparently walking towards the Orange Islands. He knew that they'd be walking for days, despite the islands not looking that far away. However, he felt ready to take on whatever the world threw at him.

They were currently walking beside a wide river, when Lucas noticed a blue Pokémon floating down it. It appeared to have a spiked rocky back, a long neck, and four large fins. It had darker blue dots spread around its body, and a short tail. Its head had spiral ears, and the Pokémon's white underbelly extended up its neck to its lower jaw.

Lucas pulled out his Pokédex, and aimed it at the creature.

"Lapras, the transport Pokémon," The machine spoke, "Lapras enjoys carrying people and Pokémon on its back. It is able to understand human speech and sense human thoughts, can sense a person's aura of kindness, and does not like to battle. Whenever Lapras comes across a person it finds pure and kind, this Pokémon will beg to be caught by them and nobody else. However, humanity has driven Lapras to the point of near-extinction, and at night, the Pokémon can be heard singing. This song is the Lapras crying out to the last of its kind."

Lucas stared in awe at the magnificent creature. The Lapras noticed his stare, and swam towards him. Then, Lapras smiled at Lucas, reached its head over to his waist, and grabbed an empty pokéball off of his sash with its mouth. Then, Lapras dropped the pokéball into Lucas' hand, and nudged him with its head, smiling. This was the third time that a Pokémon had asked him to catch it… was he really that special?

Lucas smiled back and tossed the pokéball at Lapras. It clicked shut, and he snatched the ball before it could fall into the water. He smiled, looking back at Jack, Lily, and Charizard. Charizard gave him a thumbs-up.

He opened the pokéball, and Lapras emerged, smiling brightly. It turned around, letting Lucas, Jack and Lily onto its back.

"You think you can take us near the Orange Islands, buddy?" Lucas asked, showing Lapras the map with the crude "X" he drew. Lapras nodded, and began to swim downstream. "Thanks, Lapras!" Lucas said gleefully, to which Lapras closed its eyes, grinned, and made a soft moaning sound.

Lapras started to paddle up the river, and Charizard started floating in the air next to Lucas, gently flapping his wings and creating a nice breeze. Jack and Lily were talking about the unusual warm weather; It was still January, but the temperature was in the mid-seventies. Lucas was laying on the rocks on Lapras' back, looking up at the clouds and listening to the water. He looked to the side, and far off in the distance he saw a town he didn't recognize.

Lucas was still thinking about the dream, and how Lugia had told him he was the "Chosen One." He wondered why Lugia chose him, out of the other thousands of trainers who had more experience than him. He then thought about that trio of trainers he ran across, and what the younger kid – Ash Ketchum – had said.

"_However, sometimes things happen for a bigger reason that you can't identify,_" Ash had said to him.

Lucas thought about that statement long and hard, realizing that whatever Lugia saw in him must have been special, and it was indeed for a bigger reason. He smiled and closed his eyes, thinking about what lay at the end of the journey.

Lucas felt a nudge on his side. He opened his eyes and sat up, to find Lapras looking at him, smiling. He remembered that Lapras could understand human speech and could occasionally sense human thoughts. He reached out and stroked Lapras on its white lower jaw, who nudged him again and made the same moaning sound as before. Then, it turned around and continued upstream.

Lucas felt a strange calm take over him, vividly reminding him about his encounter with Mew five years ago. He somehow knew that both Mew and Lugia were watching over him, and that thought made him even calmer.

He laid back down, staring up at the clouds, and grinned again.

Chapter 12: What's Way out there?

Hours later, Lapras reached a portion of the river that was too narrow for it to pass through. The trio hopped off of Lapras' back, and Charizard landed on the ground next to Lucas.

"Thank, Lapras! You helped a lot," Lucas said to Lapras. Lapras smiled and softly moaned to Lucas, and Lucas pointed his pokéball at Lapras.

"Alright, Lapras, come on back," he said. Lapras disappeared inside the pokéball, and the ball clicked shut.

Lucas and the others turned around to see a hill blocking their path. They all decided to climb it so they could get a better view of where they were going. Charizard followed Lucas, who decided to remain in the back of the group.

Lucas grabbed Dratini's pokéball and tossed it.

"Hey, Dratini," Lucas said to the serpent, "I thought you could use some fresh air!"

Dratini slithered around in a circle with a grin, and started climbing the mountain with them. Then, Dratini started to glow. It started lengthening its body, with white sparkles surrounding it.

"Oh my god! Lucas, Dratini is evolving! Congratulations!" Lily exclaimed.

On the new Pokémon's body, Lucas noticed dark blue pearls on its chest and tail. It also had wing-like ears on its head.

Lucas pulled out his Pokédex, aiming it at the evolved Pokémon.

"Dragonair, the Weather Dragon Pokémon. Dragonair constantly builds life energy up to uncontrollable levels. To discharge energy, Dragonair stores its energy in the pearls on its body, then distributes it to the atmosphere, changing the weather. This Pokémon has the ability to jump very long distances due to the miniature wings on its head." The Pokédex said.

"That's incredible! Congratulations, Dragonair!" Lucas cried with joy. Dragonair slithered around Lucas' legs, nudging him with his head gleefully.

Suddenly, Jack pulled out a pokéball, tossing it in front of him.

"You too, Bagon!" Jack said. A strange, navy blue Pokémon appeared in front of him. It had a plump snout, short arms, no tail, and small legs. Its head was covered in a mane as shiny as steel.

Lucas pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it at Jack's Bagon.

"Bagon, the Dreaming Pokémon." the Pokédex said. "All Bagons have a dream of flying one day. Because of this, they are notorious for hurling themselves off of cliffs. As a result of this habit, their heads have become harder than tempered steel."

Bagon started skipping up the hill, with Jack and Lily not far behind. Lucas started jogging up the hill to catch up, and Charizard started running. To Lucas' surprise, Charizard was just as nimble running as he was flying.

When they finally reached the top of the large green hill fifteen minutes later, they all stopped to catch their breath. Then all of them proceeded to sit down and gasped at what they saw.

The view was absolutely amazing from the top of the hill. They could all see over the tree line, and far off in the distance, they could see the ocean. All of this mixed with the setting sun made for a beautiful scene. Because of this, the group decided to rest there for the night.

ʘ

Hours later, Jack and Lily fell asleep in their sleeping bags. Lucas was looking out towards the horizon, and Charizard was sitting next to him. Finally, Lucas spoke.

"Charizard? Have you ever looked across the sky and wondered what's way out there?"

"Yeah… I think about it all the time. Why?" Charizard responded.

"Well, the thing is… you never really know until you go there. And that's kind of humbling, when you think about it. You never know what you'll find at the end of the road." Lucas said. He then looked up at Charizard, who was looking at him and smiling. Lucas leaned his head on Charizard's shoulder.

"But I feel that as long as you're with me, I can go anywhere… that, and the fact that you can fly," Lucas chuckled, looking up at the stars. "Thanks for everything, pal. I mean it. You never had to save me, in fact I never expected you to hear me calling for help in the first place. It seems that after my accident, things have been looking up and up… and I don't think I'd have made it this far if it weren't for you." The dragon gave him a humbled look, before returning his gaze to the sky.

"Lucas… you don't know how grateful I am to be your friend. I never thought I'd meet someone like you in my life. You've given me the gift of an inseparable bond, which is something I never really had before… even with my other trainer. If anyone should say thanks, it's me, pal," Charizard replied. Although the dragon was still looking at the stars, Lucas noticed in the moonlight that a tear was streaming down his snout, and he meant every word that he said.

Both of them laid in the soft grass, Charizard wrapping himself around Lucas like he did many nights before, and fell asleep looking off into the heavens.

Chapter 13: Keep on Pushing Forward

For a number of days, the gang had been walking, and Lucas noticed that Lily and Jack were starting to get irritated with the slow traveling. Lucas remembered what Lugia had said to him: Not to listen to voices of doubt. He had been doing that for days now, and was still fine, but it was definitely taking a toll on his friends.

Lucas would occasionally have to remind his friends what their end goal was. The only one who wasn't irritated happened to be Charizard. That didn't surprise Lucas all that much, but he was still nervous about the others.

"How much longer until we get to the shore? It didn't seem that far away from the hill!" Jack asked, clearly getting frustrated.

"Well, we're still on course. It should only be a couple more miles." Lucas replied. This was true, as Charizard had occasionally flown up into the air to see if they were headed in the right direction.

The closer the trio got, the more excited and nervous Lucas became. Jack and Lily seemed to calm down more, and to pass the time while walking, Lucas toyed around with his Pokédex to figure out what else it could do. Apparently, the device was so much more than a data system; it had a satellite map, music apps, a messaging system (Lucas realized he could have just asked his mother for a Pokédex instead of a phone), USB slots, a camera, and numerous other functions as well. The more Lucas studied it, the more amazed he became.

A few hours later, they finally reached the shore. In the distance, across the water, they saw a large group of islands.

"Those must be the Orange Islands!" Lucas exclaimed. He stared in awe at the beautiful scene before him.

Suddenly, Lily spoke up. "You know, Lucas, I've been thinking… Jack and I are going to stay behind. Whatever's out there, it's yours. You had the dream, you're the Chosen One, and it's your destiny to follow, not ours. That, and… well… Jack refused to go up there because he hates heights."

"It's true. Not my proudest trait, but hey," Jack chimed in.

Lucas laughed. "Don't worry about it! You want to know something about me?"

"What?" Jack asked.

"I'm afraid of pool drains! Not lights, or jets… just the drains. If you thought being afraid of heights was weird, then you clearly don't know me all that well!" Lucas chuckled.

Jack, Lily, and Charizard all started to laugh hysterically at this revelation. However, they weren't laughing at Lucas, rather laughing with him, because Lucas joined in on the laughter soon after.

"What about you, Charizard?" Lucas asked after catching his breath. "Are you coming with me, or would you like to stay behind?"

"What are you, crazy? I'm coming with you!" Charizard said. After this statement, however, he let out a big yawn, and Lucas noticed he was tired. He decided to give him a break.

"Here, buddy. Come on back inside your pokéball and get some rest. You must be tired from all this traveling," Lucas said.

Charizard nodded, and in a flash of red light, he disappeared inside his pokéball. Lucas clicked it onto his sash, and pulled out Lapras' pokéball.

Alright, Lapras. Come on out!" Lucas said, smiling. He threw the pokéball at the water, and Lapras came out in a flash, gleefully moaning and smiling.

"Alright, buddy. Let's go to the Orange Islands! The others are staying behind." Lucas said to Lapras, who smiled and swan in a circle happily. Lucas hopped on Lapras' back, reached over and picked up the bobbing pokéball, scratched Lapras behind the ears, and waved goodbye to his other friends.

Lucas turned back around as Lapras started to swim towards the Orange Islands. He looked at the mountainous islands in the distance again, with the sea breeze blowing his hair. Underneath the water, he saw a school of strange, blue fish. They had large fins, with a lighter blue trail running along the edges.

Lucas pulled out his Pokédex.

"Lumineon, the Neon Pokémon." the Pokédex stated. "Lumineon attracts other Pokémon by flashing specific patterns of bioluminescent blue lights on the edge of its fins. They enjoy swimming around people, and can live at any ocean depth."

Lucas stared at the beautiful fish in awe, saying "Wow…" under his breath.

An hour or so later, Lapras finally reached the shore. Lucas looked at his map, and felt a tugging in his pocket where the Water Gem was. He pulled it out, and he felt it pulling him towards the mountain, glowing brightly. Somehow, he knew that this is where he needed to go.

"Alright, Lapras. Thanks for the ride!" Lucas said as he beckoned Lapras back into the pokéball. Lapras disappeared in a red beam of light, smiling at Lucas.

_This is it, isn't it?_ Lucas thought to himself.

He stood at the foot of the mountain, and started climbing towards the top with a smile on his face.

Chapter 14: Climbing

Lucas had been climbing, alone, for hours. He still had a long way to go, so he decided to sit down on a ledge and take a break. He was sweating profusely, as it was very warm.

"I hate this unseasonal weather. It's mid-January, not May!" he said to nobody in particular.

Lucas looked out over the ocean. In the distance, He saw a massive, anvil-shaped storm reaching high into the sky, with blinding lightning bolts crashing down every few seconds. A small rainbow was being reflected from the raindrops. He looked to his left, and saw the mainland, with beach houses lining the coast.

The scene was just as magnificent as it was on the hill a few days prior.

Charizard's pokéball started to shake, and it opened up while still on his hip. Lucas looked at him, puzzled.

"You can do that?" Lucas asked.

"What, come out of my pokéball at will? Yeah, some Pokémon can do that, but most of the time we just like to stay inside and not get in our trainer's way," he replied nonchalantly. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Charizard asked, looking off into the distance at the storm.

"Yeah. I never thought I'd see anything like it in my life," Lucas replied, staring at the flashing lightning bouncing around the large cloud.

"This is what it's like to fly…except, well, you're moving the entire time. But still," Charizard remarked. "I can show you! Hop on my back. You've been climbing for a while."

"Wait… what? Are you sure? We're pretty close in height, do you think you can…"

"I'm a strong dragon! You better believe I can carry you and fly! Now come on… it'll be fun, trust me!" Charizard giggled.

"Whatever you say, pal! Jack would be terrified right now," Lucas replied, giggling as well. Lucas smiled at Charizard, and climbed on his back behind his wings.

"Hold on!" Charizard shouted. "Keep your head low to reduce drag, and try to tuck your legs under my tail! Also, hold on to my neck… you'll need it! Just enjoy the ride!"

Before Lucas could say anything, Charizard jumped. They sped down the mountain at such an alarming speed that Lucas thought he might fall off. However, Charizard pulled up quickly, and the G-forces almost made Lucas fall off. Fortunately, Lucas did as he was told, and held on with all his might.

Lucas looked over Charizard's shoulder, and took in the view.

The wind was strong, and Lucas had some trouble keeping his hair out of his eyes. He started laughing with amazement. Charizard looked around and gave him a big smile, with twinkling eyes.

"Oh my god! This is incredible! Ha ha!" Lucas screamed over the wind. "This is what it's like to fly?!"

"Yeah! It never gets old!" Charizard yelled back with glee.

A few minutes later, they landed back on the mountain, much higher than before.

"That was one of the most amazing things I've ever done! Thanks, pal!" Lucas said to Charizard, who was beaming.

"Anytime, buddy. Anytime," Charizard replied.

Both of them looked up at the top of the mountain, now only a few hundred feet away.

"I can do this from here. You've been a big help. Now get some more rest," Lucas said. He grabbed the pokéball off of his sash, pointed it at Charizard, and pressed the button. Charizard returned to his pokéball, smiling, and saying "Good luck!"

"Thanks, pal…" Lucas said, clutching Charizard's pokéball to his chest and smiling. That experience in the sky was a memory he would never forget.

An hour later, Lucas finally made it to the top of the mountain. What he saw astounded him.

There was a drop into a crater-like area, with a small mesa in the center. On the inside of the crater, surrounding the mesa, was a shallow lake of water. The mesa had steep slopes, and Lucas estimated the slope to be at least ten or so feet high. Then, a Pokémon sitting on the mesa caught his eye.

Resting on the mesa was Lugia.

Chapter 15: A Pure-Hearted Trainer

Lucas slowly stepped into the shallow, ankle-high water. It was crystal clear; he could see small fish Pokémon swimming around periodically, and plant life blossoming in the rich ground beneath it.

Lugia was facing away from him, looking out over the sea beyond the crater. From the back, he could see blue, small, folding fins on its white back. Its tail had two small, blue points on it at forty-five-degree angles. One of Lugia's wings was extended a little, and Lucas could see its large, almost flat fingers.

Lucas walked a little more, until he reached the mesa. He stopped about ten feet away from it. He stared up in awe, not believing what he was seeing.

Somehow, Lugia heard him, probably because of his walking through the shallow water.

"I've waited for someone like you for so long, Lucas. You have no idea how ecstatic I am to finally meet you," Lugia said, turning around.

Lucas just remained silent, his mouth slightly agape, not knowing what to say.

"I can tell you have many questions. I have answers, don't worry," Lugia spoke, smiling. Lugia's smile warmed Lucas, and somehow, he knew that he was safe.

"I can't believe it…" Lucas said in awe. "You're… you're really real…"

"Yes, I am. I understand it seems rather surreal," Lugia replied with a chuckle.

"I don't know where to begin, Lugia… where do I even start? Like… like why me? Why am I the 'Chosen One,' and what does that even mean? Why have you been watching me for all these years? You told me that finding you was my destiny, and I believe you. It's just… I guess I'm confused, is all," Lucas asked all at once.

Lugia looked down at Lucas, and chuckled once more.

"I know you're confused, it's only natural. Let me explain," Lugia replied with a soft grin. He began the story:

"I'm sure you remember the legend of the Brass and Tin Towers from your History classes, am I correct? With the massive storm, 150 years ago?" Lugia asked. Lucas nodded his head yes.

"Well, one thing they never told you was how the six legendary weather birds and beasts came to life. Granted, mythology tells you that they appeared after the accident, but further research tells you the truth. I lived in the Brass Tower, adjacent to the Tin Tower, where Ho-Oh lived. Together, we lived in harmony with the people, spreading happiness to the land, and in return only asking for proper care of the towers."

Lucas was nodding with genuine interest. Lugia continued.

"When the storm struck the towers, I created the legendary birds to symbolize the forces of nature, and Ho-Oh created the legendary beasts for the same purpose. Ho-Oh and I left the city on that fateful day, and we each started travelling the world. I do not know where Ho-Oh is to this day.

"Before we parted, we resolved to search the world for a single, pure-hearted trainer to share wisdom with us. For many, many years we searched the globe through dreams. Alas, nobody who we bestowed those dreams upon followed the respective stones. Whether it be doubt, laziness, disinterest, or fear… not one made it to us. I eventually settled here, in the Orange Islands, and this is where I felt a sudden change in the world. Everything became brighter, for some reason. And it happened thirteen years ago… when you were born.

"I eventually found you, Lucas. I observed your behavior for so many years, before deciding not long ago that you were the Chosen One. And here's why,"

Lucas looked up at Lugia, anxiously waiting for an explanation with wide eyes.

"You have a special connection with Pokémon that even I can't explain. You're so compassionate, caring, and friendly towards everyone. You are purer than I could ever imagine possible," Lugia explained. "It seems as if Pokémon are drawn to you, in a way. You see them not just as creatures, but as companions. If you've noticed, you haven't caught one Pokémon by battling them yet. All the Pokémon you own are yours because of your kindness to them."

"Wait… you think I'm pure?" Lucas asked.

Lugia chuckled, and said to Lucas, "Yes, of course I do. To be pure of heart is to only put the well-being of others before yourself. You always help others before you think about what you want, Lucas. Even when you were with your family, you always did everything you could to help out. And now is no different."

Lucas nodded, understanding what Lugia was saying.

"Why do you think Charizard wanted you to be his master?" Lugia asked. "It's because he saw how kind of a person you were, even after a few seconds of locking eyes in the snow. He peered into your soul and saw purity. He saw someone that only wanted to travel with a friend by his side, who didn't care about winning all the time, and just wanted to spread happiness."

Lucas almost choked up when he heard that statement. To hear these words from a legendary Pokémon who'd been watching him his whole life meant something. After a minute, he pulled himself together, and asked Lugia another question.

"But… then why am I here? What do you need of me? You called me here for a purpose," Lucas asked.

In response, Lugia smiled and said, "I need you to share your wisdom with me."

Lucas didn't know what to say. He stuttered a little bit before responding.

"You want my…what? My wisdom? How? I've only been a trainer for a little over a week now, and I've only battled one time. What can I teach you?" Lucas asked.

"That's just it. You have so much more to teach me, because you have so much more to learn," Lugia said.

Lucas was starting to catch on, slowly. If Lugia wanted to learn alongside him, then that must mean…

"You want me to catch you, don't you? To train with me, right?"

Lugia only replied with a wide grin. Then, Lugia jumped down on the ground in front of the mesa with a slight thud and splash of water.

Lucas smiled widely, and pulled out one of the great balls that Brock had given him. He felt that those encounters were a lifetime ago.

"That won't be necessary, Lucas," Lugia said. "Reach into the water and close your eyes."

Lucas did as he was told, and dipped his hand into the water. He felt a spherical mass in his palm, and opened his eyes to see a white pokéball with a red center stripe where the button was. It was not wet when he pulled it out of the water, to his shock.

"That is called a Premier Ball," Lugia told him. "Only a legendary Pokémon can make those, and they can only be made once in their lifetime. Following past legends and traditions, a Premier Ball should only be given to the strongest of trainers. That is you, Lucas."

Lucas looked closer at the Premier Ball, noticing a faint light shining from it. Then, he looked at Lucas, smiled, and shouted with glee, "Premier Ball, GO!" He threw the ball, which curved in the air before bopping Lugia on the forehead. Lugia smiled, and disappeared inside.

A moment later, the ball clicked shut, and Lucas immediately opened it. Lugia came out of the ball in a brighter-than-normal flash of light.

"Thank you, Lucas," Lugia said.

"No… thank you, Lugia. I promise I won't disappoint you," Lucas replied.

"Disappoint me? You're funny, Lucas. You simply making it to me is a feat that no trainer has accomplished in centuries. After today, it will be pretty hard to disappoint me. Now, let's leave. You have to get back to your friends, don't you?" Lugia said, chuckling.

"All right. Let's go!" Lucas said back.

Chapter 16: A New Friendship

Lucas enjoyed feeling the wind in his hair. He was sitting on Lugia's back as he glided over the ocean slowly, whipping up sea spray behind him.

"Lugia, can I ask you a question?" he shouted over the wind.

"Yes, go right ahead!" Lugia said in response.

"So, if you're the Guardian of the Sea, then why were you on a mountaintop? Shouldn't you be underwater?" Lucas asked.

"I'm not needed in the waves, Lucas. I can see every disturbance from above ground, too. Good question, though… can I ask you a question or two?" Lugia replied. "First of all, what kept you going? How did you manage to find the courage and the strength to not listen to the voices in your head?"

"I had my Pokémon and my friends to keep me company, of course!" Lucas said, smiling. "They promised to always be there with me, especially Charizard. That, and I never really heard voices at all! Jack and Lily seemed to be more affected by it than me, to be honest. I think it was a test of sorts."

"And what other Pokémon do you have, other than Charizard?" Lugia asked politely. "I know you have four including myself and Charizard, but what about the other two? All I know about them is the circumstances of how they were caught, not what they were."

Lucas responded with glee, saying, "I also have Lapras, who helped me to arrive on the island; and Dragonair, who evolved shortly after I rescued it from Team Rocket."

"You risked your life to save a single, helpless Pokémon from a team of criminals? Lucas… that warms my heart. I never expected you to be so selfless as to risk your own life for that of a single Pokémon. I know now that I made the right choice, Lucas. Thank you," Lugia said softly. Lucas could have sworn he saw a tear fly past his head.

The ride after that conversation was quick and silent. In a matter of mere minutes, Lucas and Lugia arrived on the shore. The beach was clear of people, to both of their surprise.

Jack and Lily rushed out of a nearby shack, and immediately fell back into the sand, exclaiming "Oh my god!"

At that moment, Charizard popped out of his pokéball and did the same thing. Obviously, they didn't realize how huge Lugia would be.

Jack said slowly, "You're… you're Lugia, the legendary Pokémon who created the three legendary birds… so the legends are true!"

"Yes, I am," Lugia said with a smile. "You must be Jack and Lily. Pleased to meet you after so long. And you must be Lucas' best friend," he said, looking at Charizard. "Pleased to meet you too. And thank you for saving him all those nights ago. You did an amazing gesture for an amazing person."

"I, uh… thank you, Lugia. I've heard quite a bit of stories about you. You're really amazing," Charizard said in return. Lugia and Charizard continued to talk, and Lucas directed his attention elsewhere for a moment to figure out what to do next.

Lucas could hear talking off to the side from Jack and Lily, "I wonder what Charizard is actually saying?" Obviously, they only heard Charizard saying "Char" or "Charizard"- his name - over and over again (as was typical with Pokémon). He laughed to himself at hearing this.

ʘ

The gang had been walking for quite a while, and Lugia had been telling the others about his own history and why he chose Lucas to be his trainer. Jack and Lily both stared at Lugia, not believing what they were hearing (or seeing, for that matter), and occasionally tripping on tree roots along the path. Eventually, after waiting for a long time, Lucas spoke to Lugia.

"Hey, Lugia… may I ask you a question?" Lucas asked the legendary Pokémon.

"Of course, Lucas, feel free," Lugia replied, smiling.

"Why was it that when I woke up, after Charizard saved me, that I could understand him? I don't understand how that's possible," Lucas said.

Lugia chuckled to himself, smiled warmly and fondly at Lucas, and said in reply, "It's simple when you think about it. You built so strong a connection after that incident, in such a short time, that Charizard actually learned telepathy. As you may know, that is a psychic-type ability of Pokémon. However, only when a Pokémon and their trainer are meant to be together may this happen. Fascinating, isn't it?"

Lucas' eyes widened, and he whispered to himself, "Wow…" He then turned to Charizard, who was walking on the other side of him, and said, "I guess we really do have something special together, don't we?"

Charizard was listening to what Lugia was saying as well, and looked down at Lucas. He grinned widely, and said with a twinkle in his eye, "I guess so, pal."

ʘ

The gang walked for one or two more hours, and settled down for the night as the sunset started to the west. Lugia sat by Lucas drinking from a pond, and Charizard sat on the other side of him. Then, a thought hit Lucas like a freight train.

"Wait… Mew! That's what I wanted to tell you guys about before I left for the islands, but I never brought it up!" he shouted.

Lugia spit out the water he had been drinking, and said, "What?"

Jack and Lily both became wide-eyed, and stared at Lucas.

"I saw Mew! I remember now!" Lucas cried. It was true; he had been thinking so much about Lugia that he forgot about his encounter with Mew, and although he planned on telling the others, he never got around to it before forgetting entirely.

"What do you mean? Where?" Lugia and Charizard asked in unison.

Lucas hastily told his story.

"When I was eight years old, I got lost in the woods. I came into a clearing and I looked into the Kanto River, seeing a Gyarados. Then, I looked behind me, and I saw this floating, pink Pokémon. It said 'Mew' to me… like it's name. Then, it grabbed my hand, and looked into my eyes. I felt a strange calm, and I wasn't afraid of anything anymore. Then, my parents found me, and he just… disappeared. I always thought Mew was real, but never thought I'd see him."

As Lucas finished, Lugia spoke up.

"Lucas, Mew is a mythical Pokémon. Mythical Pokémon are so rare that almost nobody ever sees them. Mew holds the genetic code of all Pokémon, and only appears to those who are pure of heart without warning. However, to make physical contact with Mew has never been heard of!"

Lucas listened with his mouth agape, dumbfounded.

"Even I have never seen Mew, Lucas. I think it is a sign that you are special to Mew somehow, just as you are special to almost all Pokémon you meet. You have to go find him," Lugia said quickly.

"Woah, woah, I know I just suddenly blurted it all out, but calm down! Where will I even look, Lugia?" Lucas said quickly.

"Wherever you feel you need to go," Lugia replied.

"And what about you guys? Would Jack and Lily be able to come along?" Lucas asked nervously.

"No," Lugia said. "They cannot come. This is a journey for you and your Pokémon alone. You must meet him by yourself, as you did when you were eight… how did I not see this in your eyes?"

Lucas thought about what was happening. He didn't know where to start looking, how long he'd be gone, or whether he'd ever even find Mew in the first place. When he looked up, Charizard was in front of him.

"Lucas, I'll be with you. No matter what," Charizard said.

"As will I," Lugia chimed in.

Charizard smiled warmly at Lucas, and he smiled back at both of them in return. Then, he looked at Jack and Lily.

"Go," Jack said. "You have to."

Lily nodded, agreeing with Jack. "Hey, it could be great for science, too!"

"Alright, I'll… I'll leave in the morning. I'll do it," Lucas said with a mixture of fear and confidence.

The conversation was over so quick yet full of emotion, and it almost seemed surreal. All he did was say Mew's name, and now he's on a journey to find him again.

Chapter 17: Departure

The next morning, Lucas got up at the break of dawn. Charizard had drawn him into his belly even more than usual, obviously nervous for the new journey. Lucas gently moved the dragon's arm away and got to his feet, yawning. He quietly rolled up his small sleeping bag, and shoved that into his back pack along with his meager belongings.

He woke up Charizard, who stood up slowly and asked groggily, "Is it time?"

"Yeah, buddy. It's time," Lucas responded. "You want to go inside your pokéball?"

Charizard smiled and nodded. He figured that Lucas would want some alone time.

Lucas quickly pulled Charizard's pokéball out, and in a flash of red light, Charizard disappeared.

"I'll go in mine, as well. I see you could use some time to yourself," Lugia said.

Lucas smiled, pulled out the white Premier Ball, and pressed the red button. Lugia quickly disappeared as well, leaving him standing amongst his still-asleep friends.

Before leaving, he wrote a note to Jack and Lily:

_Thanks for supporting me for all this time. You don't know how much it means to me to have friends like you guys. I don't know when I'll be back, but I won't return until I've found Mew. Oh, and if something happens and I don't return, then don't worry about me. But that won't happen, because I know one way or another I have to come back. Something's telling me there's more I need to explore out in the world, and cutting the journey short by disappearing on you guys won't do me any good! _

_Take care of yourselves. Don't get into too much trouble, ok?_

_-Lucas_

He left the note on a large stump that they had used as a small table for dinner the previous night. To prevent it from blowing away in the wind before they read it, he put a small rock over it. Turning to see his friends one last time, he noticed that they hadn't moved a muscle, and were still peacefully asleep.

Picking up his bookbag, he began his journey to find Mew.

ʘ

It was unnaturally quiet without Lugia or Charizard. However, Lucas felt he needed to get his thoughts together, so a few hours of alone time was just what he needed.

He questioned whether or not he'd actually find Mew, or if this was all just a wild goose chase. However, he remembered what happened all those years ago, with him getting lost in the woods and finding Mew. Thinking of this gave him confidence.

In truth, Lucas was terrified. He didn't know what would happen when he found Mew, or what would happen after he returned. What exactly would Lucas say to the mythical Pokémon? Besides, it's not as if he would be able to catch it… but that didn't matter. Lucas resolved that, when the time came, he'd know exactly what to do.

He so desperately wanted to experience the same calm he felt that day five years ago. Ever since he left home, he'd been scared of what might happen to him, his friends, and Charizard on their journey. He knew he had Charizard by his side, but he was still nervous day after day. Most of the time, he didn't even know why he was scared, but he just was. He wanted some form of relief from everyone's expectations and prying eyes, and knew that Mew could help him.

Hours later, at around mid-day, he reached a part of Kanto that he vaguely recognized.

Lucas peered into the forest to see the Kanto River, and knew exactly where he was. He darted towards the banks, dodging branches and jumping over logs and roots as he ran.

When he made it to the banks, he saw a shimmering, floating shadow. He only saw it a second, before it darted down the river banks.

"Wait a second – oh my god, it can't be that easy!" Lucas hissed to himself. "Already? Come back!"

However, the figure didn't return. Lucas still gave chase to it, even though the fear of it being a figment of his imagination was all too real.

"Wait! Wait!" Lucas shouted, chasing after the strange, refractive haze. He started sprinting along the soft, flat bank as fast as he could, yet it somehow stayed ahead of him by about twenty feet.

And then, he stumbled into a clearing.

Chapter 18: Mew

Lucas stopped dead in his tracks, looking around him. He remembered this place vividly, as this is where he met Mew six years ago. He looked into the river, just as he did when he was eight years old; however, he didn't see anything. He looked behind him towards the bushes where Mew had been, but saw nothing there either.

Lucas sat down at the base of a nearby tree, hoping against hope that this was where Mew would come out. He looked up, seeing a sun ray through the trees. He smiled at the sight of it.

"I really hope this is worth it," he said to himself. "What would I tell Lugia? I failed? I can't do that. Besides, I feel like I actually need to find Mew, not just want to. Why is he still lingering in the back of my mind?"

"Maybe I really am going crazy. Maybe all this – meeting Charizard, finding Lugia, and everything that's happened – is just a dream? Is that possible? I've tried waking myself up, but it doesn't work," Lucas continued.

"Look at me. I'm having a conversation with myself!"

For an hour, he sat there. He ate the occasional snack that he packed to keep him full and alert. Then, he heard a rustling in the bushes.

Lucas looked up, seeing a shimmering haze nearby. He then jumped to his feet, gasping. All of the sudden, he saw a pink, bulging tail. He knew it had to be Mew.

"Oh my god… Mew…" Lucas stuttered. He was at a loss for words. A million thoughts buzzed through his brain in a second, but not one other sound escaped his mouth.

Mew appeared from the bushes, looking directly at Lucas. Lucas stared back in return; his mouth was wide open in shock.

"Mew… you actually came," Lucas finally managed to say. "I can't believe you actually came."

Mew only responded by saying his name, "Mew." He then floated over to Lucas, and Lucas stood up. He backed against a tree for some reason, not knowing why he was nervous all of the sudden.

"This is just like the time I got lost…" Lucas trailed off. Mew smiled, apparently remembering that event vividly.

Suddenly, the world appeared brighter. Lucas looked around, noticing more sun rays. One hit the river, which in turn shimmered brightly. The trees started to gently sway in a soft breeze, and he could hear the sounds of distant bird Pokémon.

"Jeez, where do I even start?" Lucas asked himself. After a moment, a question came to mind. "Mew, can I… can I ask you a question?" Lucas asked Mew. Mew nodded his head.

"Why did you help me when I was eight? You pretty much saved me, you know…" he said slowly.

Mew only responded by looking down at Lucas' chest, and looking back up at him again. Lucas knew what he was saying, and nodded solemnly. It was just as Lugia had said – he was pure of heart. It was difficult to understand exactly what that meant, but Lucas believed it nevertheless.

Lucas didn't know what to think of the situation. He didn't expect to meet Mew so early in his journey, and he certainly didn't expect Mew to stick around for as long as he was.

Mew looked into Lucas' eyes, and frowned. He saw Lucas' fear, confusion, and a feeling of being lost. Lucas, in turn, felt a stinging sensation in his chest, and felt something that hadn't protruded from his mind in a while. He no longer felt amazement, happiness, or… anything, really.

Lucas proceeded to blink once, then twice, and a third time. Before Lucas could aske what Mew was doing, their eyes locked.

Mew grabbed his hands and clutched them tightly. At this point, Lucas felt the world lift off of his shoulders. He wasn't afraid anymore, for some reason. He felt comfortable, but only for a little bit.

Mew closed his eyes, and Lucas noticed he seemed to peer into his soul, knowing there was something buried in him. Mew could feel it tugging on Lucas' heartstrings.

Then, Mew came to the realization that it was sadness… and even deeper, a sense of regret. He saw that Lucas was trying to bury his despair and doubt behind the thoughts of his friends.

"Mew, what are you doing?" Lucas asked. He was feeling funny, until he thought of his family. A vortex of thoughts swallowed his vision, and in a flash, everything rushed back to him.

Chapter 19: It's Okay

Lucas broke down sobbing, and Mew continued to hold his hand. Mew could obviously sense what Lucas was devastated about. These feelings had been buried for what seemed like an eternity, and finally the dam had broken. Charizard and Lugia both could sense this as well, and popped out of their pokéballs.

Lucas fell on his knees, bawling, and tears streaming down his face. His parents, his house…all gone. The despair that he had kept inside of him and suppressed was finally coming out.

There was nothing he could do to bring them back. His own desires to become a Pokémon trainer ripped his family apart.

For over a week and a half, he had tried to bury it in his past and not think about it. However, nothing can stay buried forever.

Mew shed a tear, which landed on the ground in front of where Lucas was kneeling. The Pokémon had never seen such devastation in one person.

Lucas cried for his mother, and how he couldn't say goodbye. He sobbed for his dad, wishing that he was here to talk to again, for the house he had grown up in, and because of the regret of not being able to save his mother.

Charizard and Lugia both started to choke up. Lugia almost had to look away from his new trainer, because the scene was too heartbreaking. They noticed Mew holding Lucas' hand, comforting him. Lugia could hear Mew saying, through telepathy, "It's okay, Lucas."

Charizard walked over to Lucas, putting a hand on his shoulder, and drawing him in for a close hug. Lucas buried his face in Charizard's belly, sobbing for his family and saying, "It's all my fault! I did this to them! I'm sorry, god I'm so sorry!"

Mew turned him around, and Lucas heard him say two words that consoled him more than anything: "It's okay." Mew smiled wider, and again said, "It's okay."

Lucas looked up into Mew's eyes, which were gleaming like the stars.

Mew started speaking to him telepathically in a soft, almost high-pitched voice with a smile on his face.

"You didn't do this to them," Mew said. "You were trying to live your life, and that choice drove them apart. You did nothing wrong. You followed your destiny, Lucas."

Lucas continued to sob out of grief. "If I never wanted to leave so bad… they'd still be here. Mom would still be here…" Lucas managed to say through the grief.

Mew said to him, "Lucas, look at the new family you've made! It's a new chapter for you… your old family would be prouder of you than you could ever imagine."

Lucas looked up at Charizard, who also had tears streaming down his face. Charizard nodded at him, lips quivering slightly.

"He's right, Lucas… we are more than just family, we are brothers. And I'm always here for you, old friend," Charizard said. "I understand what it's like to lose family, old friend. Really, I do."

Mew turned to Lucas, and said, "Here, give me your hands. I know why you're here."

Lucas put Mew's paws in his hands, and stared into his eyes. A smile reached across Mew's short snout, and Lucas suddenly felt… relief. And just like that, Lucas was no longer scared. He was no longer lost or nervous about anything. Just like years before, he felt an immense weight lift from his chest. He actually felt… happy.

He felt a brief feeling of closure for his family.

Charizard and Lugia could feel the calm energy radiating away from Mew and channeling into Lucas. They looked at each other and smiled. No more tears came, and no more sadness pounded at Lucas' heart. He felt free at last.

After a minute, Mew took his hands away from Lucas' palms.

"I guess this is it, isn't it?" Lucas asked Mew. "You've helped me, and I've completed my mission. I've finally said thanks, and it's time for you to leave."

Mew said, telepathically, "It doesn't have to be. You still have another empty great ball… let me come with you."

Lucas looked at him in shock.

"I… I can't catch you… you're a mythical Pokémon, you're not meant to be caught!" Lucas exclaimed.

"I see you followed a path for Lugia. You did it for me, too, albeit a brief one. I want to travel with you, Lucas. You are more special than I ever thought possible… just as Lugia said. Please?"

It took Lucas a moment to process what was happening.

Lugia and Charizard both stared at Lucas, mouths agape. Lugia said, "Lucas, that is an honor given to only the strongest of trainers. I'd accept."

"It doesn't feel right. I don't think I'm the worthiest trainer in the world, and I'm definitely not worthy enough to train alongside Mew. I've already caught you, Lugia, and I haven't even travelled two weeks yet!"

"For a mythical Pokémon to tell you that you're special, it means that you're more worthy than you could ever imagine. And the fact that you're trying to remain humble about this situation only proves my point, Lucas," Lugia reassured him.

"I guess you're right," Lucas replied.

"And you haven't disappointed me yet. Nor have you disappointed Charizard, Jack, or Lily. You can do this, Lucas," Lugia said.

"Well, I don't see why not. You're right, Lugia... I'll do it!" Lucas said, whipping out his last great ball.

Mew said with his mind, "Thank you, Lucas. I will not disappoint you."

In response, Lucas said, "I won't disappoint you, either. Thank you, Mew."

He threw the great ball, which bopped off of Mew's head. The mythical Pokémon disappeared inside of it, and the ball clicked shut. A second later, Lucas threw the ball, and Mew emerged again. He stood there for a minute, staring at the ground and smiling. Finally, Lucas realized that none of this was a dream.

"Let's go, guys," Lucas finally said.

He returned Lugia and Charizard to their pokéballs.

"Do you want to go into your pokéball?" Lucas asked Mew.

"Not for too long. We still have some adventures to go on!" Mew telepathically said.

Lucas said, "Okay. Only for a little bit," and returned Mew to the great ball.

He realized that he had one more place to go before he could go back to Jack and Lily. He had to go home.

Chapter 20: Home

Lucas knew the way to his old house by heart. He remembered walking back with his parents, and later, exploring the same river when he was older.

He walked for a mile before arriving at his old treehouse. He remembered building it so long ago with his old friends. Unfortunately, his friends left when they turned ten, and he never saw the them again. His treehouse wasn't much, though. It was about five feet off the ground on stilts, built around a tree.

He climbed up the old ladder, standing on the platform at the top and looking around, but he saw nothing of value. The only thing he did see was a half-decayed box of crayons.

He came down from the loft, and continued walking for another 15 minutes until he came to a clearing.

Home.

His home was completely gone. Some wooden supports still stood among the expanse of rubble, and he found shards of glass and wood scattered around the foundation from the explosion. The fire department hadn't cleaned up the wreckage yet.

He walked through the rubble, and felt a twitching at his side. Charizard, Lugia, Mew, and Dragonair all emerged from their pokéballs. Lapras probably stayed inside because there was no water anywhere to swim in.

"Oh my god…" Charizard said, dumbfounded. He didn't know the true extent of the damage until now.

Lucas ignored him as he walked through the massive pile of felled wood, furniture, and items. He then spotted an orange object in the mid-day sun.

It was his old plush of Charmander that he used to keep in his closet. He remembered receiving the plush for his birthday at age five, and sleeping with it every night. Charmander was one of the starters of the Kanto region. He evolved into Charmeleon, who then evolved into Charizard. Charmander had a short tail with a flame on the end, short stubby arms, and a white underbelly.

Lucas sat down on a burnt chair, in what used to be the living room, holding the plush closely. Charizard noticed and looked at the plush, before realizing what it was and having to look away to prevent himself from crying.

Then, Lucas tossed it to the side. He stood up, rummaging for some belongings and hoping that at least one thing survived the fire. He didn't find anything, though, except a charred poster from his room. It was the same Sinnoh poster that was on his ceiling, the one that reminded him of his future hopes and dreams every night in bed. Other than that one artifact, nothing seemed to survive the fire.

He noticed that the basement stairs were exposed behind the frame of a broken door. Looking down into the darkness, he whipped out his Pokédex and turned on the flashlight.

The light was dim, but still bright enough for him to see. He noticed that the walls were crumbling and broken, the shelves were toppled, and dirt was falling down through cracks in the ceiling. One corner of the basement was completely caved in, and nothing seemed to survive.

The boiler and hot water heater were completely destroyed. Both respective containers were blown out, the metal casings bending outward into flower shapes. The ground was burned around the boiler, turned black excessive heat.

Lucas returned from the basement, and Charizard followed him out. He wasn't aware that the dragon was down with him, and he hadn't seen his tail flame shimmering in the dark.

He stepped out of the rubble, noticing a grave nearby at the edge of the woods.

He slowly walked over to the stone, and proceeded to read the grave's name. It said, "_In the memory of Elise Parker, R.I.P. 1976-2019._"

Lucas kneeled down, coming to the realization that there must have been a funeral service and they managed to find the body of his mother amidst the destruction.

Charizard, Lugia, Mew, and Dragonair came up around the grave, all feeling what Lucas was feeling – a last feeling of sadness. The feeling wasn't as strong as before, but Lucas still needed to find peace with her death.

Charizard put a hand on Lucas' shoulder; Lugia, Mew, and Dragonair bowed their heads in respect. Lapras even ejected from his pokéball, even though there was no water, and proceeded to examine the scene before following the other Pokémon's movements. He gave a soft, solemn moan to give respect.

Then, Lucas spoke.

"Hey, mom… uh… I hope you're doing okay. Wherever you are," Lucas said. He was half-smiling, trying to hold back tears and partially failing. "I, uh… I made some new friends. A chance to start over, you know? Charizard's taken great care of me. He saved me, actually. We're like brothers now… you'd like him.

"I also met a few others. Their names are Jack and Lily. You'd like them a lot, too. They make sure I don't get into too much trouble," Lucas said with a short chuckle. "A lot has happened in the past two weeks. I told you I would do well, mom. I've found Lugia, Mew, and a few others. We all make a great team.

"I just wanted to say that… that I'm so sorry for leaving you. I could have saved you…" Lucas said, choking up. "I hope you can forgive me. Also, I… I never got to say this to you before you died, but I… I love you, mom," he finished.

Lucas stood up, half crying and half smiling. He felt a strange feeling of peace, and realized that it was, at long last, closure.

All the Pokémon around him came in for a hug, even Lapras.

"Come on, guys. Let's all go home," Lucas said with a smile.

"What do you mean, home?" Lugia asked. Charizard and Lucas looked at each other and chuckled.

"Wherever the world takes us is where home is," he replied.

Chapter 21: Reunion

Jack and Lily were preparing to go to sleep, reading and re-reading the note Lucas had left them. They honestly were very nervous for Lucas, and hoped that he was safe. It wasn't long, however, before they heard a rustling in the bushes. They turned around, Jack whipping out his Bagon's pokéball and Lily pulling out her unnamed Pokémon.

A familiar face emerged from the bushes. It was Lucas, and alongside him were Charizard and Lugia.

"Lucas! You're back so soon!" Lily cried. "How did it go? Did you find Mew?"

"Yeah! He helped me to solve some… issues. And I gave him my thanks for helping me out all those years ago," Lucas said.

"Come on, let's not leave them with a cliff-hanger here! Show them!" Charizard said to Lucas, laughing.

"Okay, okay! Guys," he said, turning to Jack and Lily, "I might have done more than found Mew."

"What do you mean?" Jack asked.

Lucas pulled out his last great ball, and he couldn't help himself from smiling ear-to-ear.

"What the – no way. No way! Are you… you seriously caught… WHAT?!" Lily stuttered.

"There is NO WAY you caught Mew," Jack said. Lucas laughed at the two of them, especially Lily.

He threw the great ball into the air, and Mew darted out of the ball at blinding speed. It twirled around in the air a few times before settling down at Lucas' side. Lucas noticed that Jack and Lily's faces were a mixture of shock and awe, mouths agape wider than he had ever seen them.

"H… how? How did you… wait… what? How did you catch Mew?" Jack stuttered. "Mythical Pokémon aren't supposed to be caught! Did you battle? If so, how did you win? Or what happened?"

"Jack, settle down! No, we didn't battle," Lucas said, as Mew floated beside him giggling. "He wanted to come along with me, because he thinks that I am a worthy trainer. I'm quite honored, to be honest."

"That's amazing!" Lily cried. "You caught Mew! You actually caught Mew!"

"Yes, he did," Lugia said, "Only the most pure-hearted trainers ever meet Mew, or any mythical Pokémon for that matter, and you must have a strong desire to see it. To Mew, Lucas is special as he is to me. He is, after all, the Chosen One."

"Well, in any case, it's good to see you again, old friend," Jack said, still noticeably shocked.

"It's good to be back," Lucas said. "But what exactly does it mean to be the 'Chosen One?'" I've heard that phrase tossed around so many times, but it makes me sound like some sort of a legend in a prophecy."

Lugia chuckled, before replying. "Being the Chosen One simply means that, well… you were chosen. I chose you, Mew chose you… Charizard seemed to choose you, too. It's no mystical prophecy from the dark ages or something, simply an expression of you as you are."

Lucas thought about that for a second. Although it wasn't some sort of prophecy, it still resonated within him and gave him a boost of confidence for the future. So long as he kept on moving forward and doing things right, he knew he could continue to be successful.

Chapter 22: The Road to Somewhere

Charizard lay next to Lucas, eyes shut and smiling. His tail flame was curled up to Lucas' chest to keep him warm. His head was bent to rest on Lucas' head, and a hand curled around Lucas' waist to draw him into his warm underbelly.

Lucas was listening to Charizard's soft snoring, remembering the night Charizard saved him from the cold. Across from him, Lugia lay sleeping in a shallow pond, absorbing the water's nutrients. He looked down to see Mew near his back pack, curled up while floating in the air a few inches above the ground.

He thought about where his journey had brought him, and where it would take him next. He remembered Team Rocket; he remembered Ash, Misty, and Brock; he remembered the long journey to Lugia; and he remembered his saving Dratini, who had now evolved into Dragonair.

Lucas put his hand over Charizard's clawed hand, and snuggled into Charizard more. In response, Charizard let out a soft moan, curled around Lucas a little bit more, and smiled. Lucas shut his eyes, thinking about his mother and knowing she was in a better place. He thought about his father, hoping to meet him again one day, and relive memories of talking about Pokémon battles on the television.

He thought about his new family, and how much they meant to him.

He looked back up at Charizard's snout, thinking, _The road to somewhere is going to be a long one… but as long as I've got you by my side, Charizard… I can go anywhere._

Lucas shut his eyes again, and drifted off to sleep, safe in the arms of his beloved friend.

To Be Continued…

Reference Table of Pokémon Mentioned

Charizard Lapras

Lugia Bagon

Dratini Ekans

Dragonair Koffing

Three Legendary Birds, from left to right: Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres

Mew Ho-Oh Pikachu

Trubbish Gyarados Magikarp

Torchic Xerneas Rattata

Lumineon Charmander

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